


ad astra per aspera

by shaymin



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Disabled Character, Gen, Modern Character in Thedas, Modern Girl in Thedas, Multiple Pov, Relationship Tags to Be Added - Freeform, invisible disability, probably inaccurate parrot care
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 01:42:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13730445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shaymin/pseuds/shaymin
Summary: Through hardship to the stars.For Laurel, Dragon Age had always been an escape. A sweet, sweet escape from a shitty boyfriend and a life plagued by illness and pain. No one ever expects to wake up face down in the snow in the middle of summer, let alone in a fantasy world that she knows like the back of her hand, and especially not with a dog and parrot in tow.For Zack and his daughter, Dragon Age didn't even exist yet. Plucked from his home with Charlie, Zack can only rely on his wits and strengths to keep himself and his daughter alive.And for Blair, Dragon Age Two had been the only game she'd had time to sit down and play. Thrown into Thedas without even a second warning, she'll have to contend with new enemies and surviving in a harsh world when her hearing aid batteries inevitably run out.--Several Modern Characters in Thedas, a dog, and a parrot. Will hopefully be updated bi-weekly but I'm a gal with very few spoons.





	ad astra per aspera

**Author's Note:**

> A big thanks to all the folks at the MCIT discord <3 I've wanted to write one of these for ages but I've never had the balls to do it. I also wanted to see a character with an invisible disability, and what better disability to write than one I live with?

**_astra inclinant, sed non obligant_**  
the stars incline us, they do not bind us

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Laurel hated moving day. Boxes stacked on boxes, porcelain carefully wrapped in paper, memories stuffed into tight spaces, all leaving an empty home behind. The unfinished wall paint that she had never gotten around to completing almost taunted her as the moving guys hoisted up her beat-up old couch and carried it out to their van.

 

"So long, shitty flat," Laurel grumbled, taking in one last glance. Too many memories, both painful and not. It would be good to get a fresh start. Away from all the bullshit, back home with her parents. Maybe they weren't so happy about Laurel bringing Scout and Prince with her, but she couldn't exactly leave them. Scout was attached to her hip, being a puppy and all, and Prince was  _her_ Grey. To give him away after having him for so long felt like giving away Laurel's child, and like shit she was going to do that.

 

Scout's cold and wet nose nudged against Laurel's hand, and she looked down at him. His big blue eyes were staring up at her, and she smiled at him and scratched his ear. "You'll like it up in Inverness," Laurel said as Scout leaned into her hand. "There'll be lots of snow come winter, and Prince won't be able to chase you in the garden."

 

It was a damn long journey - but Laurel supposed that she was the idiot who had decided to go to university at the other end of the bloody country. Her parents were kind enough to let her stay in her old room - especially after Laurel explained what had happened between her and the living trash pile. She tensed at the memories and shook her head slightly before hooking the leash onto Scout's collar.

 

"Time to blow this shithole," Laurel said, turning on her heels and walking somewhat triumphantly from the flat. The warm air of the summer was rising from the concrete ground, and the dinky little car that Laurel had bought second-hand was waiting for her. Prince squawked indignantly as she approached, his foul language muffled by the closed windows. "Easy, Prince, I know," Laurel opened the passenger door and Scout hopped in. She clipped his harness to the seatbelt and closed the door behind him, casting one last dour glance at the old flat. "If I never see Plymouth again it'll be too bloody soon."

 

She made one last quadruple check to make sure that she had absolutely everything she wanted to take home, then nodded to the driver of the moving van. All of that stuff was going to charity, and everything that Laurel wanted and cherished was crammed inside her dinky car. One prissy African Grey who swore like a sailor, a sassy and talkative Malamute who had yet to grow into his monster paws, a suitcase of clothes, and two bags of essentials - medication, spare glasses, hairbrush, and so on. Everything that Laurel had left home with, plus some more stuff that she had managed to accumulate over the years. 

 

"Here we go," Laurel said, turning the car key. The engine hummed into life, and she sat for a moment, considering everything. Laurel had lived here for ten years - she'd planned to stay here with her rotten ex and live out their lives together, before he'd revealed himself to be a proper piece of shite. Kids, maybe. Dog, definitely (and no way in hell was the ex ever getting Scout, he was _Laurel's_ ). Things went south, so she had to go north. Back home, to mildly disappointed parents. It couldn't be helped. "Say bye-bye, Prince."

 

"Bye-bye Prince!" Prince squawked, tapping the window with his beak. "Open! Open!"

 

"Sorry, Prince, no escape for you," she said, glancing at Prince in the mirror. He had that sour look on his face - the one he'd pull whenever he didn't get his way. Laurel snickered and put on his favourite music for the drive - Mr Brightside, which Prince eagerly bobbed his head along to. Laurel knew she was going to be sick of the song by the time she got home, that much was certain.

 

A long drive to stew her thoughts and feelings in. It would be pitch black by the time she made it home, so there was no sense in delaying any more. The sooner she got there, the better.

 

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

 

Laurel wondered why it was suddenly very cold.

 

She also wondered why she was face down, and not in a car. Her heart thudded loudly in her ears for a few long seconds before she pushed herself up quickly. There was snow all around, and a few metres away, Prince and Scout huddled close together near Laurel's suitcase and two bags, both watching her very carefully as they shivered.

 

"What the f--"

 

Before Laurel could finish her sentence and take in what was going on, an ungodly noise akin to a twisted, screaming explosion suddenly ripped through the area. Scout howled and Prince let out a surprised shriek. The shockwave knocked Laurel over, and as her ears rang and thudded, she forced herself to look up.

 

A great green blemish had opened up in the dark sky. Laurel's chest clenched as she pushed herself to her feet. Her knees were weak and ached, and she stumbled over to Prince and Scout, reaching out to them to make sure they were real.

 

"Breach, Breach!" Prince squawked, flapping his clipped wings in a panic. Scout whined, seeking Laurel's hand as she crouched next to them. "Demon! Demon!"

 

Scout bared his teeth, hackles raised as he got to his feet. Laurel followed his eyes, turning slowly as an actual _demon_ rose from a flash of green that the breach had spat out, kicking up snow and ice as it landed. Scout positioned himself between his master and the demon, growling and baring his teeth.

 

"I'm fucking dreaming," Laurel whispered. There was no way this was happening. She recognised that gaping green hole, she recognised the demon that stood - floated? - before her. A glowing, green upper body, floating menacingly as it assessed the threat. "Scout," Laurel said, voice low. He didn't listen. The wraith let out a shrill, strange scream, raising its hands and throwing a green ball towards her.

 

Without thinking, Laurel grabbed Prince and rolled. The green ball - fucking _magic_ \- hit her square in the back. She gasped in pain, careful to not crush Prince underneath her.

 

Scout acted as if he had been trained to kill. He leapt forward, teeth bared, and his jaws clamped around the wraith's arm. Despite the pain, Laurel managed to look over as Scout shook the wraith before it faded into nothingness, leaving the malamute pup looking a little more than simply confused.

 

The moment of peace wouldn't last, Laurel knew that much. She forced herself to her feet, careful of the pain in her back - it felt as if she had been burned, but she couldn't assess the damage, not here. Laurel needed help. She needed to find Haven, and I needed to find it fast.

 

Prince didn't fuss when Laurel stuffed him inside her hoodie. With Scout watching over her, Laurel hastily opened her suitcase, careful to not throw things out with how much her hands were shaking. Laurel grabbed a jacket and a scarf, putting them on as fast as she could. Her fingers trembled as she tried to button her jacket up, keenly aware that she had tears streaming down her face.

 

"I'm dreaming," Laurel mumbled, praying that she was right. She was just daydreaming. She had obviously pulled into a service station and was taking a nap - but the pain in her back told Laurel otherwise. "Dreaming, dreaming, totally dreaming."

 

"Dreaming," Prince repeated, peeking out from under her scarf. "Demons, demons, won't come out to play."

 

"No, not to play," Laurel said as she secured her suitcase. There was no way she'd be able to carry this alone - but she had a wonderful sledge dog who just needed a little help. Laurel still had his leash, and he had his harness on - with a little know-how and some steadier hands, she'd be able to tie Scout to the case.

 

Her hands shook as she tied a rough knot on the handle of the suitcase, giving it a tug. It was going to be too heavy for Scout - who was still just a pup. Laurel steadied herself, glancing at her shaking hands before picking up the lighter of her two backpacks and slinging it on, before setting the other bag on top of the suitcase. It was unpleasant, working in the strange green light - and Laurel was keenly aware of what had just happened. There would be someone stumbling out of a rift into the ruins of the Temple of Sacred Ashes, and the first days of the Inquisition were about to begin.

 

A part of her had always wanted to be whisked away into Thedas, but… it had just been a dumb, childish wish. Dragon Age had been her escape - Laurel hadn't wanted to be here literally, _physically_. How did she get here? Laurel couldn't remember much before waking up in the snow - she remembered telling the flat to go fuck itself, and beginning her drive, but then… nothing.

 

_No time to think,_ Laurel chastised herself. There were actual fucking _demons_ falling from the sky, and she was out here without a weapon to defend herself with, with a puppy and a parrot in tow.

 

It was hard to concentrate on walking in a straight line when there were demons raining from the sky and when Laurel's back felt like it was melting, but she had to endeavour. _Maybe I'm dead_ , Laurel thought morbidly. _Maybe I drove my car off of a bridge. Or a lorry ploughed into it. Maybe Thedas is my own sick purgatory._

 

Laurel could just about see lights in the distance, and hear the sounds of a medieval battle ahead of her. She numbly wondered what would happen when she stumbled into Haven. Laurel wasn't dressed in an average Thedosian manner. She didn't have anything that could even remotely  _pass_ as Thedosian stuffed away in her suitcase. 

 

A wall of sharp, tall logs stood before her, and although this wasn't in Haven proper… she recognised the building behind it immediately. It was the home of an apothecary who had died in the Conclave - had literally died barely an hour ago. While Laurel didn't exactly fancy raiding the home of a dead man, she had to. Until she could potentially explain her situation and offer aid, Laurel had to lay low and avoid futzing with the timeline, if that was even possible.

 

She dragged herself around the outer walls of the shack, grabbing the door handle and tuning it. Locked, obviously. Laurel growled in frustration and jiggled the handle, scowling at it. "Open," she said through gritted teeth, gripping the handle tightly. There was a click, and the door swung open. Laurel stood, blinking in confusion into the empty house. She was desperate enough to ignore the strangeness of the door unlocking at her command, so she couldn't simply stand around out here and worry about slightly strange happenings when there was a great fuck off Breach in the sky.

 

Scout bounded in before Laurel did, exploring every nook and cranny with his nose while Prince cooed inside Laurel's jacket. Laurel dragged her belongings in, pushing them into a dark corner before she kicked the door shut and started rummaging through the apothecary's home. There had to be herbs in here somewhere - Laurel just about recalled that elfroot helped encourage wounds to heal quicker, so that was her first port of call.

 

There was a bushel of presumably still fresh elfroot on a shelf, which Laurel grabbed without a second thought. She undid her jacket, careful of her wounds and of Prince, before lifting the parrot out from th ejacket and placing him on the nearby bed. Scout leapt up beside him, curling around Prince to keep him warm. Laurel laid her jacket on top of them both, and gingerly wrapped her scarf around Prince.

 

"Shit," she wheezed as she slowly took her hoodie off. Her skin felt sticky against her shirt as if both fabric and skin had been melted together. With shaking hands, Laurel twisted the sleeve of her hoodie into a small ball and held it between her teeth, before slowly unbuttoning her shirt.

 

Tears stung at Laurel's eyes as she shrugged her shirt off, unable to hold back the noise of pain as shirt and skin peeled away. The cold hit her wound like a freight train, and she sucked in a deep, panicked breath through the sleeve of her hoodie. The stinging was almost unbearable, but she was lucid enough to know she would need a mirror.

 

Gripping the elfroot in one hand, Laurel shuffled over to the corner where she had unceremoniously dumped her things, grabbing one of the bags and rifling through it. She had a compact mirror in here, _somewhere_ , and that would have to do. Laurel pulled the mirror out, grunting in pain as she twisted to get a look at her injury.

 

Laurel had seen burns before - but this was different. Her skin was a weird mess of slightly green ooze and thick coagulated blood. She grimaced as she spat her hoodie's sleeve out. This was going to hurt, regardless of how accurate she could be. Laurel twisted her arm and squeezed the elfroot over her wounds. The sensation was a mixture of biting, stinging pain and glorious relief, and she screwed her eyes shut.

 

"Shit, fuck," she wheezed again. Prince echoed her, and Laurel glanced over at her two beloved pets. Scout's big blue eyes were watching her with concern, and poor Prince was fluffed up like a feather duster. "I'll get you some more blankets, and start a fire on the hearth," Laurel said, partly to Prince and partly to herself. First thing's first, however, she had to dress her wounds, and figure out what the fuck she was going to do next.


End file.
